Facebook Copy-and-Paste Posts Promising to 'Bypass,' 'Reset' Facebook Are Hoax, Scam

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Facebook copy-and-paste scams are back, as are the fake friend requests. Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty Images

Amid near-constant scrutiny for its content-review policy and data-sharing practices, Facebook has also been plagued with another problem—spam posts. An old scam/hoax has become new again as copy-and-paste posts go viral once more. The scam is about "bypassing" or "resetting" Facebook in order to see more friends in your newsfeed.

The posts, like many other Facebook scams, ask that users copy and paste the post into their newsfeeds. It reads: "Thanks for the tips to bypass FB y'all. I have a whole new news feed. I'm seeing posts from people I haven't seen in years. Here's how to bypass the system FB now has in place that limits posts on your news feed."

Ignoring the fact that Facebook's algorithm generally shows those you interact with most frequently as the ones you'll see most often in your news feed, the post continues: "Their new algorithm chooses the same few people - about 25 - who will read your posts. Therefore, Hold your finger down anywhere in this post and 'copy' will pop up. Click 'copy'. Then go to your page, start a new post and put your finger anywhere in the blank field. 'Paste' will pop up and click paste. This will bypass the system."

Other cut-and-paste scams read in a similar way.

"Hi new and old friends! Fixed my blocked posts I wondered where everybody had been! This is good to know: It's ridiculous friends and only 25 are allowed to see my post," another post reads. "I ignored this post earlier, because I didn't think it worked. It WORKS!! I have a whole new news feed. I'm seeing posts from people I haven't seen in years." The post continues with instructions of how to copy and paste into your newsfeed to "bypass Facebook."

Newsweek reached out to Facebook for comment on the spam posts, but Facebook did not immediately respond.

According to the fact-checking site Snopes, the copy and paste Facebook hoax started last year. Some posts, the Snopes notes, Facebook limits your feed 26 people, while say 25. Facebook did switch its algorithm this year, but the change actually allowed more of your friends show up in your newsfeed at the expense of pages you follow.

"With this update, we will also prioritize posts that spark conversations and meaningful interactions between people. To do this, we will predict which posts you might want to interact with your friends about, and show these posts higher in feed," Facebook said in an announcement on January 11. "These are posts that inspire back-and-forth discussion in the comments and posts that you might want to share and react to.

"We will also prioritize posts from friends and family over public content, consistent with our News Feed values," Facebook's statement said.

See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

Earlier this year, another old Facebook scam resurfaced—the fake Facebook friend request. Similar to the copy and paste posts, they were nothing more than spam posts filling up your newsfeed.

Uncommon Knowledge

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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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